The present disclosure generally relates to stowable devices which adopt a functional geometry only upon demand and in so doing present this functional geometry to the user. These devices will be termed self-presenting devices and this disclosure particularly addresses self-presenting handles having active materials.
Motor vehicles and other transportation means such as airplanes, busses and trains have multiple handles, levers, hooks, and the like on the exterior and throughout the interior compartment. In motor vehicles, for instance, such devices have a myriad of uses, such as grab handles for assisting egress/ingress from the vehicle, hood and/or trunk-release handles, door handles, garment hooks, tailgate handles, and the like. Most, if not all, of these devices are infrequently used but are permanently fixed to the vehicle's interior and/or exterior. For example, in the case of an interior grab handle, the handle permanently occupies interior space and affects interior styling design.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved self-presenting devices that do not affect styling designs and aesthetics, and in the case of the interior compartment, devices that increase interior space.